Canada’s typically not the first country one expects to make a splash in an international soccer tournament. However, it was in the first match of the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup where the side hailing from The Great White North picked apart their smaller opponent, Martinique, to clinch an important 4-0 victory.
First Half
Martinique looked formidable in the opening minutes, sharing much of the possession and making it down to the final third on several occasions. However, their attempts did not come to fruition, giving Canada time to stabilize and break the defense.
Canada finally broke through in the 33rd minute thanks to a defensive lapse by Martinique keeper Loic Chauvet and defender Daniel Herelle. Chauvet found the ball at his feet and attempted an off-target pass to Herelle. Jonathan David stole the ball and finished the job
THERE IT IS!
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 16, 2019
Canada's Jonathan David scores the first goal of #GoldCup2019! pic.twitter.com/llGA9sTxf9
The score was nearly doubled just three minutes later when Alphonso Davies found David with a short cross from the left side of the box. The ball was headed just past the near post.
Martinique found themselves with opportunities as the first half was coming to an end. Kevin Parsemain had three scoring opportunities in the final five minutes of play, but they finished the half empty-handed.
Second Half
David got Canada off on the right foot in the second half, extending the lead in the 53rd minute. Samuel Piette found David making a run up the middle of the field with a perfectly-timed run behind the back line. From there, it was a simple one-on-one against the keeper to net his second of the match.
JONATHAN DAVID AGAIN!
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 16, 2019
He scores his second goal of the day and puts Canada up by ✌️ pic.twitter.com/zu8ZQcmLDH
Junior Hoilett made it 3-0 in the 63rd thanks to Davies’ consistent pressure on the left side. Davies cut into the box, found room, and crossed it, allowing Hoilett to finish with a simple tap-in at the far post.
Hoilett makes it 3-0 Canada!
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 16, 2019
And what a pass from Alphonso Davies 👌👌👌 pic.twitter.com/vazYRsJTAC
The final score of the match came in the 67th minute, as captain Scott Arfield finished this ball with ease.
Canada are running away with it!!!
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 16, 2019
Scott Arfield finds the back of the net and makes it 4-0! pic.twitter.com/rRxPRowCqp
Davies, who spends his club time with Bayern Munich, proved to be an integral part of the victory. The 18-year-old winger spent the match masterfully picking apart the left side of the pitch, allowing plays to develop.
Omission From Canada Starting XI
A name many considered to be start-worthy is Canadian Lucas Cavallini, who has found success with Puebla in the Liga MX. The forward did see action after replacing David Junior Hoilett in the 64th. Coach John Herdman have some insight as to why the 26-year-old only saw a few minutes.
“There’s a reason why he didn’t start today”, Herdman responded to a question asked by ESPN’s Tom Marshall. “I’m not going to give too much away but there is a reason why he only took a few minutes today. He’s excited for what’s coming next”.
The reason might be because Canada’s next match is against Mexico, their second group stage match. Group A continues on Wednesday, June 19th at Broncos Stadium at Mile High in Denver, CO. Cuba and Martinique kickoff first, followed by Canada and Mexico.
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